He sounds like a good guy and a great player, as long as he is healthy.

He has some interesting things to say on:

The club

Mantei said he's intrigued by the personalities in the Sox clubhouse. And, he said he might be willing to be a setup man here for a few seasons rather than close elsewhere because of the personalities on the team and the passion of the city. Henry said that attitude, coupled with his composure, will serve Mantei well. In Florida, he developed the nickname "Ice Man."

Himself

Mantei said that win or lose, he will be at his locker, waiting for the media.

"I'll always be there," he said. "If I give it up, I'll be there. If I strike out the side in the eighth, I'll be there. It doesn't matter to me. You can't really think about it too much or it'll eat you up."

Randy as a Yankee

According to Mantei, that might happen with his former Arizona teammate, and new Yankee, Randy Johnson.

"He doesn't like attention," Mantei said. "He's going to have problems. He doesn't like a lot of attention, lots of people bothering him. It's not a good place. It would be like coming here. The more people bothering you, if you don't like attention, it's not the right spot."

The owner

"I remember I blew a save early in the season, I think it was '99," Mantei said. "I came back the next day and there was a note in my locker from John Henry. He told me not to worry about it, that I was still one of the best closers in baseball, that I'd have a great year. He was just a really genuine, nice person."